Yarn holding device



1964 N. T. KING 3,154,932

YARN HOLDING DEVICE Filed March 9, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I NVEN TOR. NOBLE T.KlNG

FIG.2. 21 &

ATTORNEY Nov. 3, 1964 r N. T. KING 3,154,932

YARN HOLDING DEVICE Filed March 9, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR, NOBLE T. KING ATTORNEY United States Patent Delaware Filed Mar. 9, 1962, Ser. No. 178,706 4 Claims. (Cl. 66-145) This invention relates to yarn holding devices and more particularly to devices for holding yarns in knitting machines.

One of the major disadvantages of yarn holding devices utilized in certain knitting and other machines and in other applications is that the yarn is not always firmly held. For example, a certain type of conventional hosiery knitting machine utilizes a spring-loaded clamp for holding a free end of a yarn, the spring urging the clamp against a portion of the machine to hold the end of the yarn therebetween. This clamp does not work well on bulked, textured or stretch yarns. These yarns tend to pull out from under the clamp, leaving the end of the yarn dangling free a distance from where it should be. Of course, the machine cannot pick up the end of this yarn when the knitting progresses to the point where this yarn is again to be knitted intothe hose. W1th this in mind, one of the objects of this invention is to provide novel and improved yarn holding apparatus.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device for holding a yarn in a hosiery knitting machine.

A further object of this invention is to provide a yarn clamp which satisfactorily holds textured and stretch yarns.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a yarn clamp wherein a blade-like member pushes the yarn into a holding position between a pair of elements.

One embodiment contemplating the principles of the invention comprises a blade-like member mounted for movement into and out of a positionbetween a leaf spring and a rigid bracket secured to a portion of a hosiery knitting machine, the leaf spring normally engaging the bracket. The yarn passes between the bracket and the blade-like member, which is actuated by that part of the knitting machine which operates the'conven-v tional clamp. When the blade-like member is lowered it moves to a position between the bracket and the'leaf spring to securely hold the yarn-the yarn extending over the bracket, under the blade-like member and over the leaf spring.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent when the following detailed description is read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of a conventional hosiery knitting machine showing the construction of a well known, conventional yarn holding clamp;

FIGURE 2, is a fragmentary perspective view of one embodiment of a yarn clamp illustrating the principles of the present invention and showing the clamp in its yarn holding position;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the yarn clamp in its open position;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the yarn clamp in closed position showing the rear side of the clamp;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing sastasz Patentecl' Nov. 3, 1964 lCC known, commercially available hosiery knitting machine. One example of such a machine is the twin-feed ladies seamless hosiery machine currently being manufactured by Textile Machine Works of Reading, Pennsylvania, and designated the Reading-Booten. This machine has provisions for feeding two yarns to the needles performing the knitting operation. During the knitting of the upper portion or welt of the hose, both yarns are fed to the needles. When the welt is finished one of the yarns is out and the other fed to the needles until the lower end of the hose is reached, whereupon both yarns are again used. It is during the formation of the central portion of the hose, when only one yarn is being used, that the end of the idle, severed yarn is held.

FIGURE 1, which is included only to illustrate prior practice, shows the conventional arrangement for holding the idle yarn. The conventional machine is provided with a pair of yarn clamps 12 (only one is shown in the drawing) which engage the dial cap 11 to hold the two yarns therebetween. One of the clamps 12 is pivotally attached to a main clamp lever 18 and the other to an auxiliary clamp lever 19, both of these levers being pivotally attached to a hub 29 which is an integral part of the dail cap 11. The main clamp lever 18 is provided with an end 23 which is engaged by a plunger 24 for pivoting the clamp lever 18 to raise the clamp 11 to free the yarn.

Simultaneous operation of the two yarn clamps is effected by an intermediate lever 27 which is pivotally attached to the hub 20 and positioned so that downward movement of the end 23 pivots the intermediate lever 27 to pivot the auxiliary clamp lever 19, thereby opening both clamps at once. A tension spring 28 connected to projections on the auxiliary clamp lever 19 and the intermediate lever 27, as shown in FIGURE 1, urges the levers 18 and 19 in directions to normally hold the clamps 12 against the dial cap 11. Fragments of certain other portions of the conventional machine are shown but, since the machine is well known, these portions are not described.

The disadvantage of the conventional clamp described above is that bulked, texturized or stretch yarns, be cause of their inherent tendency to shrink in length, pull out from under the clamps 12. v

FIGURES 2-4 show one embodiment illustrating the principles of the present invention. In these figures a main clamp lever 30 is shown pivotally attached to the hub 20 by a screw 31. This embodiment is provided with an intermediate lever 32 and an auxiliary clamp lever 33 mounted as shown in FIGURE 1, with the auxiliary clamp lever having attached thereto a yarn clamp such as shown attached tothe main clamp lever 30 in FIGURES 2-4. A tension spring 29 identical to the spring 28 (FIGURE 1) is connected between the auxiliary and intermediate levers 32 and 33 to urge the clamps downward in the manner illustrated in FIG- URE l.

The main clamp lever 30 has attached thereto a flat, blade-like yarn clamp 34 which is adapted to move into and out of a normal position between a clamping bracket 35 and a leaf spring 36. The leaf spring 36, the major portion of which is curved, has a flat portion positioned at a slight angle to a flat surface on the bracket 35, the lower edge of the spring being in contact with the fiat surface of the bracket 35. The bracket 35 is secured to the dial cap 11 by a screw 38 (FIG URE 4), while the leaf spring 36 and a backup leaf spring 39 are secured to the bracket 35 by a screw 42. The backup spring 39 is providedfor engaging the leaf spring 36 and holding it against the bracket 35. The leaf spring 36 is provided for cooperating with the bracket 35 to hold a yam 37.

During the period when the yarn is being fed to the knitting needles (not shown) it is fed downward to a point outside the dial cap 11 and positioned to the left of the yarn clamp (FIGURES 2 and 3). This is old and well knownhence it is not shown. When the yarn feed to one of the needles is stopped, the yarn at the point of its attachment to the hose is carried by the needles in a counterclockwise direction around the dial cap 11 toward a cutter (not shown) mounted on a support 46 attached to the dial cap 11. This causes the yarn 37 to move into a position defining a chord across the dial cap 11. This chord extends, at the time when the yarn is severed, across a foot 47 on the clamping bracket 35 in a position to be clamped and held. This movement of the yarn into this position is effected by the conventional knitting machine and, since it is old and not a part of this invention, the apparatus for so moving the yarn is not shown.

The foot 47 on the bracket 35 has an inclined end projecting toward the edge of the dial cap 11 so that the yarn 37 is guided into a position extending across this foot. The foot 47 is that portion of the bracket 35 which cooperates with the leaf spring 36 to hold the yarn.

As the yarn is being moved toward the holding position, but before it reaches the foot 47, a plunger 50 engages and depresses a tang 51 on the main clamp lever 30 to raise the yarn clamp 34 to the position shown in FIGURE 3. This also raises the yarn clamp attached to the auxiliary clamp lever 33 in the manner described above. The plunger 50 is a part of the conventional hosiery knitting machine and the manner and timing of its operation is well known.

Just before the yarn 37 is severed the plunger 50 is raised to allow the spring 29 to lower the yarn clamp 34 into the holding position between the foot 47 and the spring 36 and in engagement with the upper surface of the dial cap 11. The clamp 34- engages and pushes the yarn 37 downward into a position between the foot 47 and the leaf spring 36. The yarn is held in this position until the knitting progresses to the point where this yarn is again needed, at which time the plunger 50 is moved downward to raise the yarn clamp 34.

Since the clamp 34- is raised before the yarn 37 is picked up by the knitting machine, the foot 47 and the leaf spring 36 must hold the yarn. The edge of the fiat portion of the leaf spring 36 in engagement with the foot 47 does not reach to the upper surface of the dial cap 11, so that the loop formed in the yarn 37 by the clamp 34 extends to a point below the lowermost edge of the leaf spring 36-as illustrated in FIGURE 6. Because this loop extends below the lowermost edge of the leaf spring 36 and since the edge of the leaf spring contacts the foot 47, the yarn is firmly held after the blade-like yarn clamp 34 is raised. The machine can pull the yarn from its clamped position but the tension of the yarn is not sufficient to so withdraw the yarn.

While this yarn clamp has been shown in connection with a particular knitting machine, it is to be understood that this clamp can be used in any application where it is necessary to hold a filament. The knitting machine partially shown and partially described herein is merely used to illustrate one application of the present invention.

It is to be understood that the embodiment disclosed herein may he modified or amended and that numerous other embodiments can be contemplated which will fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for holding a filament, comprising a supporting member, a leaf spring attached at one end thereof to the supporting member, the other end of said leaf spring having an edge thereof in engagement with said supporting member and extending at an angle therefrom, resilient means engaging the leaf spring for urging said edge of said leaf spring into engagement with the supporting member, and means movably mounted on the supporting member for engaging and moving the filament into a position between said leaf spring and said supporting member.

2. A device for holding a yarn, comprising a supporting member, a first leaf spring attached to the supporting member and having a free end having an edge thereof engaging said supporting member at an angle thereto, :a second leaf spring attached to the supporting member and having a free end engaging the first leaf spring for urging said first leaf spring against the supporting member, and a blade-like member movably mounted on the supporting member for engaging and moving the yarn into .a position between the supporting member and the first leaf spring.

3. A device for holdnig a yarn, comprising a support member, a leaf spring secured at an angle to the support member and having an edge engaging said support member and, a yarn clamp mounted for movement into and out of a holding position between the support memher and the leaf spring, said yarn clamp having an edge which projects beyond the edge of the leaf spring when said clamp is in holding position.

4. A device for holding a yarn, comprising a support member having a fiat surface thereon, a curved leaf spring secured to the support member at a point spaced from the fiat surface thereon, said leaf spring having an edge in engagement with said flat surface, said spring extending from said fiat surface at an angle thereto, and a blade-like yarn clamp mounted for movement into said angle between the flat surface and said edge, said clamp being movable to a point beyond said edge for pushinga yarn to said point so that after said clamp is withdrawn a loop of said yarn extends past said edge toward said point.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Apr. 28, 1954 

1. A DEVICE FOR HOLDING A FILAMENT, COMPRISING A SUPPORTING MEMBER, A LEAF SPRING ATTACHED AT ONE END THEREOF TO THE SUPPORTING MEMBER, THE OTHER END OF SAID LEAF SPRING HAVING AN EDGE THEREOF IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SUPPORTING MEMBER AND EXTENDING AT AN ANGLE THEREFROM, RESILIENT MEANS ENGAGING THE LEAF SPRING FOR URGING SAID EDGE OF SAID LEAF SPRING INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SUPPORTING MEMBER, AND MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON THE SUPPORTING MEMBER FOR ENGAGING AND MOVING THE FILAMENT INTO A POSITION BETWEEN SAID LEAF SPRING AND SAID SUPPORTING MEMBER. 